


The Best Anniversary Gift

by Kary



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Anxiety, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Post MJ, Post-Mockingjay, Pre-Epilogue Mockingjay, Pregnancy, S2SL 2015, everlark's 5 year anniversary, first toast baby, love making, surprise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-01
Updated: 2015-06-01
Packaged: 2018-04-02 07:42:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4051948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kary/pseuds/Kary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five years after their toasting, Katniss has a pretty special gift for Peeta. Sequel to Raisin Nut Bread from S2SL 2014 collection.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Best Anniversary Gift

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: according to my clock is already June 1st and I couldn't wait any more to post this story... this is my S2SL 2015 submission and the sequel to my work from last year "Raisin Nut Bread"... I hope you enjoy it
> 
> Thanks to katnissdoesnotfollowback for her wonderful work as my beta and to Everlart for the beautiful drawing that is now my banner
> 
> I don't own THE HUNGER GAMES... the character belong to Suzanne Collins... I just wanted to spend a little more time with them

I've hunted illegally in the woods half my lifetime and I was never this scared. I was twice in the arena of the Hunger Games, fighting for my life, and I wasn't this scared. I was the face of the revolution that brought down the tyranny of the Capitol and almost burned to death and I wasn't this scared. I can only compare my level of fear to when Prim's name was pulled out of the Reaping bowl or when I saw her blonde braid in the Capitol Square before the bombing.

I have to remind myself that I wanted this. For Peeta. For myself.

But as I look down to the pregnancy test, at the positive result, I can't help but feel a mixture of disbelief, happiness, and paralyzing fear.

I'm pregnant.

I'm expecting Peeta's child.  _Our_ first child.

My hands are shaking. My whole body is shaking. I feel like crying and laughing and screaming all at the same time, but my vocal chords are frozen. I have a  _baby_  growing inside of me right now. Peeta is going to be so happy. It is our fifth wedding anniversary and I can give him the gift he's wanted the most. But I'm still afraid.

_I want this, too; I want this, too; I want this, too._ I repeat over and over in my head, remembering when I first made up my mind about this a year ago.

* * *

_**Fourth wedding anniversary, a year ago** _

I'm going to meet Peeta at the bakery so we can go for an anniversary picnic at the lake in the woods. I can't believe how time flies and it's already been four years since we had our toasting.

I look down to the beautiful ring on my left hand and smile, remembering how perfectly it complements Peeta's, how the arcs form the shape of a heart when the rings are put together.

When I reach the bakery, I stand outside and peek in through the window. Peeta is out front, tending a customer. The client is a young, dark haired man with a little boy clinging to his pant leg. After handing over the bag of purchases and the change to the man, Peeta smiles down at the boy and extends his hand towards him, offering him a cookie. The boy seems to hesitate a moment before taking the treat and nodding his head shyly, making Peeta smile wider.

I feel a pang in my heart. He is so good with children. He never says it aloud because he knows I don't want to even talk about it, but he wants kids; he's always wanted them.

And he deserves them. I feel tears stinging my eyes. I love him more than anything and yet I'm incapable of giving him the thing he wants the most: a child. I really don't deserve this man. The tears start to fall.

The customer is making their way to the door, so before Peeta can see me, I run and duck into the alley between the bakery and the sweet shop. If Peeta saw me, he would come outside to greet me, but then he would ask why I'm crying and I cannot explain it to him right now.

I lean against the side wall of the bakery, feeling the warmth in the bricks. I need to calm down soon or Peeta will worry about what is taking me so long to arrive. But I can't stop thinking of the look on his face when he gave the cookie to the little boy. He was so happy to make the kid happy.

Then the image in my mind shifts to one of me visiting my husband in the bakery and a little blond haired boy clinging to  _my_  leg, extending his little hand toward Peeta. In my mind, I see Peeta coming from around the counter and lifting the boy (our child) into his arms and giving him a cookie, making them both smile.

Maybe I can do it. Maybe I can give him what he's always wanted. In this moment I wipe my tears with the back of my hand and make up my mind. I'm going to find the courage to somehow give my loving husband what he wants: a child.

My resolution firm, I fix a smile on my face and walk back around the building to enter the bakery.

* * *

_**Present day** _

It took me six months and several calls to Doctor Aurelius after I made the decision to give up the birth control treatment. I didn't tell Peeta. I was afraid that he would get his hopes up and then something would go wrong and I would just end up disappointing him. I just increased the number of times we made love. At first he was confused and didn't understand what was going on. He asked me a few times what had gotten into me, but dropped it because he wasn't about to stop me when things heated up in the bedroom.

The first month, when I got my period after leaving the birth control treatment, sent me to a panic crisis. Doctor Aurelius spent almost two hours on the phone with me, assuring me that there was nothing wrong with me; that it would take some time to get pregnant after being on treatment for as many years as I had been. But even with the reassurances from Doctor Aurelius, with every period that came, the fear that maybe I wouldn't be able to get pregnant grew.

I stopped going into the woods so I could take better care of myself. When Peeta noticed and asked me why, I gave him a reason that was true without being the main one: that more people are hunting now, that the district doesn't need me to provide meat, and since more people are out there now, the woods are not so peaceful to me anymore. That was enough for him.

A few days ago, my body started to feel a little weird. I was sleepy all the time and my breasts were tender. Peeta noticed the latter while we were making love and was worried that he was being too rough. He felt bad and hasn't touched my breasts again since, but the tenderness didn't go away, so I grew suspicious and when my period didn't come, I decided to take a test, totally expecting to have a disappointing negative. It took me nearly all day to gather the courage to actually do it, but I wanted to get it done before Peeta came home and I didn't have much time left.

And now I have this test in my hands that says I can finally give the love of my life the gift he deserves. But even as I feel joy grow inside of me, I feel fear growing at a faster pace. I still have nightmares that leave me paralyzed and incapable of getting out of bed for a few days afterward, and Peeta still has the occasional episode that has him gripping the nearest solid object.

Of course, both my nightmares and his episodes are few and far between but they're still not completely gone. What happens with the baby if Peeta has an episode at the same time I happen to be in bed, paralyzed with depression? The Hunger Games are gone, but what happens if the government implements them again? What if they come up with some other, crueler tradition? Will I be able to protect my child from that or will I just fail like I failed Prim?

I have to get out of here. I can't be alone in this house right now. Before I can decide where I want to go, I find myself out of the house and pushing open Haymitch's front door, the test still clenched in my hand. He's asleep, slumped on the couch.

I don' know why I came here, but I've always trusted my instincts, and if they brought me here, then maybe he can help me calm down before Peeta gets home. For old times' sake, I go to his kitchen, pour water in a mug and throw it at him from a safe distance.

"Goddammit, freaking, son of a…" he screams when he wakes, startled and falling off the couch. I notice he doesn't have the knife in his hands and I smile to myself, proud that he seems to be getting better, just like Peeta and I.

He looks up and cuts his sentence short when he sees me. Then he rolls his eyes and gets up from the floor. I approach him as he drops down onto the couch once again and I take a chair close to him.

"Still like giving me pneumonia while waking me, Sweetheart?" he says gruffly, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"Old habits die hard, I guess." I answer.

"And what brings your lovely being into my house?" he asks.

I can't respond. My lips won't move. It is like I'm dreaming and if I say the words aloud, I'll wake and this won't be real. A part of me, the scared part, wishes it was just a dream and that I would wake up eventually, but a bigger part of me, the part that loves Peeta and fought so hard to get pregnant, is scared that I will in fact wake up to another disappointment.

So instead of answering, I extend my hand to him. He arches a curious eyebrow, but puts his hand out to receive what I'm offering. I drop the test into his hand.

He takes his hand back and frowns down at the test, then his eyes widen and he looks between his hand and me, understanding dawning on him without me having to say anything.

"How long have you known this?" he asks, handing me the test back.

"I just found out," I say as I put it safely in my pocket.

He takes a deep breath and says "Well, I believe congratulations are in order, Sweetheart. Though I thought you were being more careful."

"I did it on purpose, Haymitch" I say, my voice shaking. "I wanted to get pregnant." And I tell him of that moment a year ago when I decided to give Peeta a child.

"Kid knows you're knocked up?"

"Don't say it like that" I cringe. "But no. He doesn't know I was trying to get pregnant. I wanted it to be a surprise. I'm planning on telling him when he comes home. It's my anniversary gift for him."

"Well, kid's biggest dream has always been having a child with you, so he is gonna be the happiest man alive when he finds out. So, what is it that has you so freaked out that you came to see me before telling him the news?"

I lower my eyes to the floor and answer, "I'm afraid I won't be able to protect this child just like I wasn't able to protect Prim."

He's silent for a long time, making me more nervous with each passing second. I look up at him and see he's been watching me. When our gazes meet, he takes a deep breath and finally speaks.

"I know you noticed I didn't have the knife in my hand when you woke me up. It took me a long time, but I finally stopped sleeping with it under my pillow. I still drink a lot, but I'm trying to drink less each time," he says, leaning forward in his seat. "It will be a long progress, and slow, but I hope I'll get better eventually."

"Congrats, Old Man. I'm really proud of you, but how is that related to my fear of being incapable of protecting my child?"

"You and the boy have made progress, too. You both are better than when you first came back and will keep getting better with time. There are no Games or rebellion now, Sweetheart. Everything is as safe as it is going to get. I know you're afraid now, but remember how you single-handedly took care of Prim and your mother and kept them alive for years before Prim's first reaping, and you were just a child yourself back then," I feel tears welling up in my eyes and starting to fall as he keeps talking. "You're an adult now and you're not alone, you have Peeta now. The both of you, together, overcame two Hunger Games, a war and the Boy's hijacking. Surely you can survive raising a child."

I wipe the tears from my face with the back of my hand. "Thank you, Old Man. I needed to hear that," I say and then add jokingly, "And I guess we'll also have you to babysit for us sometimes."

He smiles, leans forward and pats me in the knee. "Don't push your luck, Sweetheart. Now better get out of here and go give that Boy the news. He is going to be home soon."

He's right. It is almost time for Peeta to be home. I was so busy fretting over taking the test and discovering that I really was pregnant that I didn't prepare anything to celebrate our anniversary. Well, it doesn't matter, I have the perfect gift anyways.

I hurry to the house and enter through the front just in time to hear Peeta's voice coming from the second floor, calling my name.

"Katniss, where are you?"

"Down here," I call back.

I hear his footsteps moving upstairs and then I see him coming down the steps. Peeta's eyes light up and he smiles when he sees me. He comes right to me and greets me with a hug and a kiss. I wonder if he can feel my body shaking with excitement and nerves or hear the wild pounding of my heart.

"Where were you? I was starting to worry."

"I was at Haymitch's," I say as lightly as I can. "I went to warn him not to get anywhere near here today. I don't think I have to explain why," I add, waggling my eyebrows.

Peeta throws his head back and laughs. "I bet you got a good teasing out of him."

"You know it," I answer and look down.

After a second I feel Peeta's hand on my cheek, moving my face back to his, so I look up and meet his eyes.

"What is it, Katniss?"

"I can't keep anything from you, can I?" He just shakes his head. I sigh and take his hand. "Come with me."

I pull him after me to our living-room and guide him to that spot in front of the fireplace where we said our vows and made love for the first time as a married couple five years ago. I take both of his hands in mine and hold them between us, looking up into his eyes.

"I have something important to tell you."

"Katniss, you're shaking," he finally notices. "What's wrong, love?"

I take a deep breath to brace myself for what I'm about to say. "Peeta, I love you so much. I love you more than I ever thought I could love someone. And because of that love I decided that I'm ready to face my biggest fears."

"What's going on, Katniss?"

I let go of one of his hands and reach into my pocket. I pull the test out and put it in his hand. While he looks down to it, I put his other hand on my lower belly. When he realizes what the stick in his hand is, his eyes widen and he looks between the test and me. His mouth moves but he doesn't speak. If I weren't so nervous I'd think it's funny.

"What?" he finally manages to get out, tears welling in his eyes

"Happy Anniversary, Peeta. I'm pregnant," I say as my own tears begin to fall. "I'm going to have a child.  _Our_ child."

"How?" he asks. I give him a pointed look and he chuckles nervously. "I mean, I thought you were on birth control."

"I dropped off of birth control six months ago. I wanted this to be a surprise."

A tear rolls down his cheek as he looks into my eyes. He puts the pregnancy test on the mantle and cups my face while his other hands lightly caresses my belly.

"Are you sure about this?" he asks. "I know you didn't want to have children so I never asked. I need to know you're sure about having a child."

"It's kind of late to ask me that now since we're already having one," I try to joke. "But I'm sure."

"What made you change your mind about kids?"

"Five years ago I was scared of getting married, and you have spent the last five years showing me that it was worth taking the risk. Last year, when I went to meet you at the bakery so we could have a picnic at the lake, I saw you interact with a little boy, the son of a customer. Your eyes lit up while you talked to him and your smile was so wide I couldn't help but wonder how happy you'd be if the kid were to be your own child. I realized that I wanted to be the one giving you that happiness. I love you enough to give you this, because you've shown me how to move on despite the fear and that the risks are worth it."

I don't really know how it happens, but the second I finish talking both his arms are around me and he's kissing me. His lips have the salty taste of our mixed tears, tears of happiness. I throw my arms around his neck, wanting him closer to me, wanting to never let go.

"Thank you for this, Katniss," he whispers against my lips. "I love you so much."

I press myself even tighter against him, burying my face in his chest and he squeezes my waist, resting his chin on top of my head. We stay like that, just holding each other for a few moments, enjoying being in each other's arms.

Eventually he sighs. "We're going to have a child. Real or not real?" he asks.

I smile against his shirt and answer. "Real."

We pull back and look into one another's eyes and the intensity of the love in his gaze makes me feel weak in the knees.

"Can we go lay down?" I say. "Today has been an emotional roller coaster for me."

"Of course," he says right before he sweeps me off my feet and carries me up the stairs to our bedroom. Normally I'd complain, but today I just giggle and let him.

When we reach the room, Peeta lays me down on the bed and takes my shoes and socks off. When he's gotten rid of his shoes and socks as well, he climbs into the bed to lay beside me. He wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head on my belly.

"Hey there," he starts to whisper to the baby inside me while I run my fingers through his hair. "I'm your dad and I can't wait to meet you. I love you so much already," he says, kissing me through my shirt. "I can't believe I'm going to be a father," he says in awe. "If I'm dreaming, please, don't wake me up."

I smile at his words. Seeing him this happy, I can't believe I denied him and myself this for so long. I can see I made the right decision last year. This baby is not only to make him happy. It is also a way of closing the chapter of my past and moving towards my future. Five years ago I married Peeta, today we're starting a family.

I'm so lost in my thoughts of happiness that I don't realize that Peeta has started to caress my abdomen until I feel my body responding to his touch. I'm sure it is not his intention and that he's probably meaning to express affection for our child, but I can feel myself getting turned on, causing me to begin to squirm beneath him.

He notices and looks up at me. "What is it? Am I tickling you?" he asks, his hands stopping.

"Not exactly," I say and bite my lip.

Understanding dawns on him and he smirks. He takes the hem of my shirt and starts kissing up my stomach while pulling my shirt up.

"How rude of me," he says between kisses, the vibrations of his voice making me moan. "You just gave me a wonderful gift. I have yet to give you a proper thank you."

"Do you have something in mind?" I ask just as he lifts the shirt over my breasts.

"You'll see," he answers before kissing the flesh that is not covered by my bra.

I arch my back towards him, but Peeta pulls back and helps me sit so he can get the shirt off over my head. His lips are on mine the second the garment is gone. Before he can lay me down on my back again, I practically rip the front of his shirt, making the buttons fly in every direction and causing Peeta to smile against my lips. I push the fabric down his arms and as soon as he is free, his arms are around me and his hands are working at the clasp of my bra. Torturously slow he slips the straps down my arms, exposing my breasts to his hungry gaze.

When I'm bare from the waist up, he lowers me onto my back and starts kissing my neck, down to my chest where he cups one breast in his hand and massages gently while taking the nipple of the other breast into his mouth. My hands are instantly on his hair to keep him right where he is despite the fact that my breasts are tender because of the pregnancy. I hiss a little when he pinches the tip of my breast. It's some kind of pleasurable pain.

Peeta lifts his head. "Did I hurt you?" he asks, worry in his voice and eyes.

I shake my head. "Go on. Don't stop. Please."

He smirks and switches his mouth to my other breast. Each stroke of his tongue causes a moan to leave my lips. After giving my nipple the same attention he gave the other one, Peeta continues his descent on my body, kissing down my belly until he reaches my pants.

"Daddy is going to say thanks to Mommy in the way she enjoys the most, my little Peanut." He says to the baby while undoing my pants.

Peeta drags my pants and underwear down my legs and throws them behind him before he starts his way up my legs by alternating kisses between each one and spreading me a little further apart as he goes. The closer he gets where I want him the most, the more I writhe beneath his lips and touch. When he reaches my most private area, he puts his hands on my inner thighs, keeping me spread wide and completely exposed to him. He slowly licks his lips before I feel the first delicious swipe of his tongue sliding up my folds. His name leaves my lips like a prayer.

"You're so wet," he murmurs against my skin, the vibrations of his voice causing me to arch my back and grip the sheets. "I love the way you taste. I could taste you forever and never get tired of the flavor." He says right before grazing my bundle of nerves with his teeth.

His words have me gripping his hair while he licks me over and over again. Every time I tug his golden locks, he sucks my clit into his mouth. It is not long before I feel my orgasm building. My muscles get tighter and tighter with every flick of his tongue over me. He sucks my clit one last time, humming at the same time and I'm lost, gone, flying, falling, all at the same time. I can feel him licking the juices at my entrance, prolonging my pleasure.

As I come down from my oral sex induced high and my breathing returns to normal, I'm vaguely aware of him moving from between my legs and slowly up my body until he reaches my mouth and kisses me leisurely. The taste of myself on his tongue has me ready to go again in no time.

Without breaking the kiss, Peeta rolls us over so I'm on top of him while he caresses my bare back. His hands softly travel down until he grips my butt and pushes my hips against his so I can feel how hard and ready he is for me.

He kisses his way towards my ear. "We're not done yet, my love," he whispers before gently biting down on the lobe, making me buck against him. He groans at that, something that sounds like my name and then lets go of my flesh. "Finish undressing me, Katniss," he says, his voice low and sexy.

He doesn't have to tell me twice. I imitate what he did with me and kiss my way down his body, raking my nails on his skin a little as I run my hands over his toned muscles and I feel them rippling beneath my touch. When my hands reach his pants, I swirl my tongue around in his navel while undoing the button and zipper. Just like him, I pull the pants and boxers together down his legs, making him spring free. I lick my lips at the sight.

As soon as his pants hit the floor, I'm face to face with one of my favorite parts of Peeta's body: his erection. He looks down at me just in time to watch me take him into my mouth. He's my favorite treat in the world.

I start to bob my head up and down, causing his hands to go to my hair. He moans my name every time I hum around him and his hips start to thrust into my mouth, so I relax my throat to take him as deep as I can. I swirl my tongue around him with every upward pass and use my hand to stroke what I can't fit in my mouth. I don't do it for too long, though, because I want to feel him come inside me. It's what we both like when making love.

I let him out of my mouth and kiss my way up his body as he did with me. When I reach his mouth, Peeta sits up and I think he's going to flip us over again, but he just accommodates my legs on either side of his hips so I'm straddling him. Resting his hands on the small of my back, he starts nibbling my chin, to the side of my neck until he finds the spot below my ear that makes me mewl and arch my back into him. He was expecting that reaction, because my breasts immediately land in his waiting palms.

He nibbles on that spot once more before whispering in my ear. "I want you to ride me."

A shiver runs down my spine. I love to ride him, so my hand automatically goes to his throbbing member to align it with my entrance and I sink onto him, making Peeta groan and me sigh. He feels so deep inside of me in this position that it's impossible to know where one ends and the other begins; I just love it.

Peeta goes to lay back down to enjoy the view, but I grip the back of his head with both hands to keep him sitting up. "Stay with me," I breathe against his mouth. I don't want him away; I want to feel as much of his skin pressed against my own as possible.

"Always," he exhales, wrapping his arms around my waist.

We stay like that for a long moment. Neither of us moves, we just enjoy the feeling of being connected in every possible way, body and soul. One of his hands travels up my back until he reaches the end of my braid. He tugs on the elastic band and slowly – and without really meaning to, sensually – he unravels my hair, so it flows in soft curls down my back.

"I love you, Katniss," he whispers before kissing me sweetly.

That's when I begin to move, a slow rocking of my hips against his at first. Peeta's hands settle on my hips to steady my movements. Soon the light rocking is not enough for me, so I start to move myself up and down his length. I can tell that is also what he needed by the way he squeezes my hips as I move above him and he groans my name.

I increase the speed and force of my movements, my hands fisting his golden curls. By now we're not kissing as much as panting into each other's mouths. Each time our hips collide, my clit hits his pelvic bone, making me arch my body and throw my head back. Soon I feel him starting to thrust up into me, intensifying the stimulation on my clit and giving me the first signal that he is getting close to his climax, so I move faster and harder over him, trying to get us both there together. I know he is really close when I feel his hand snake between our bodies to rub me, making me scream his name to the ceiling.

"I'm too close, Katniss," he confirms. "I need you to come with me. Please."

The feel of his fingers on my sensitive bud, his words and the heat in them, all combined, send me flying over the edge, clawing at his back and calling out his name desperately as I feel myself contract around him. A second later, Peeta is there with me, his body stiffening beneath mine, his arms squeezing me against him and biting down on my shoulder as his cock throbs inside me and his come spills out, filling me with him.

When we come back down to earth and our breaths calm down a little, Peeta kisses my shoulder and we fall back down to the mattress. He slips out of me and then rolls us so we're laying on our sides facing each other. I close my eyes and relax as he caresses my cheek tenderly. I'm about to doze off when his hand stops. His breathing is not even so he didn't stop because he fell asleep. I open my eyes to find worried blue orbs looking at me.

"Peeta, what's wrong?" I say, running my hand up and down his arm and a little afraid that maybe he's going to have an episode.

"Do you think we hurt the baby?" he asks, his hand immediately going to caress my belly.

I have to chuckle. "Peeta, the baby is fine. I don't think we hurt him or her."

"Are you sure?"

I smile and put my hand over his and caress the back of it with my thumb. "I'm sure. My mother was a healer and now is a nurse, remember. She explained how this works to me a long time ago."

"So we don't have to stop making love during the time you're with child?"

I laugh now. "Don't worry. Nothing will happen to the baby. So no, we don't have to stop making love during the pregnancy."

He pushes me onto my back and talks to the baby through my stomach. "Now I love you even more," he says and kisses my belly before moving to cover us both with the duvet, then he wraps me in his arms and we fall asleep like that.

* * *

_**Eight months later** _

The pain is too much. I'm sure I've never suffered a pain such as this before. I feel like I'm breaking the bones of Peeta's hand with how hard I'm gripping it. My body is covered in sweat and aching, like it's been for hours. This pain seems endless. My Mom is in between my legs, telling me to push, that we're almost done, just a little more, but I barely hear her.

After months of happiness mixed with anxiety, the day finally is here. Peeta and I are finally going to meet our child. He believes it's a girl, but in my mind's eyes, I see a blond haired boy looking like a tiny version of his father.

Another contraction hits me and I squeeze Peeta's hand again as I ride it. "I can't do this anymore," I sob.

"Yes, you can, Katniss," he says, using his free hand to dab my forehead with a towel. "Little Peanut is almost here."

"I see the head, Darling," my Mother says. "Just one more push. Push. Now."

I bear down with all I have. I feel something slipping out of my body and then I hear it: the high pitched cry of my baby. My child is finally here. I start to cry myself, tears of happiness.

"It's a girl, Sweetie," my Mom says. "Peeta, would you like to cut the cord?" she asks him.

He looks at me questioningly. I nod at him and he leaves my side briefly to follow my Mother's instructions and cut the cord. When he returns, he starts to comb my hair back from my face while my Mom cleans our daughter up.

"You did it, Katniss," he tells me. "She's here and she's perfect. She is like a tiny version of you. I love you. Thank you for her."

"Here she is," my Mother comes over with my no longer crying baby. "You wanna hold her?"

I don't answer. I just extend my arms in her direction. My Mother hands over my daughter and I immediately cradle her close to my chest, afraid that she is going to slip from my hands. I look down at her for the first time. Peeta is right: she's perfect. Rosy, chubby cheeks; perfectly pink, pouty, tiny lips; dark lashes, as long as her father's, but curlier; porcelain skin. Her little head is covered in a smattering of dark, fine hair.

I run my finger down her soft cheek and she wraps her tiny, perfect fist around it, making me give a little laugh. She opens her eyes at the sound and there it is, the part of her that is Peeta: her eyes are the brightest blue I've ever seen after her father's eyes.

"Have you thought of a name?" my Mother asks us. Peeta looks at me expectantly, showing that the choice is mine.

I smile down at my daughter again. "Felicity," I say and look back up at Peeta. "Felicity Mellark."

Peeta's smile is the biggest and brightest that I've ever seen. "May I ask why that choice?" He's not questioning me or complaining; he's just curious.

"You were so happy when I told you about her. And I feel like she'll bring even more happiness to our lives from now on."

I didn't want a name from our past, to put the burden of a ghost on her tiny shoulders. Naming our little girl 'Felicity' was my way to start our future with a positive look.

"I love it," he says.

He sits beside me on the bed, drapes one arm around my shoulder and kisses my forehead. Then he looks down at our daughter, caresses her cheek with a finger just like I did and says: "Welcome to the family, Felicity Mellark."

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: read my other fics and come find me on tumblr as karycautivo... thanks for taking the time to read... I hope you enjoyed it... let me know what you think ;)


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